Masterminds Competition

Like so many other things in 2020, this year’s CSEN Masterminds Competition was a little different from previous years. Instead of the quiz-show format in front of a live student audience, it was a virtual competition through the magic of Zoom, Kahoot! and an online Scattergories generator. Although the format and delivery changed, the sense of competition and good-natured sportsmanship remained the same and I was very proud of how our BHCS team represented the school.

Masterminds is where some of our most gifted Grade 5/6 and Years 7-9 students compete against others schools in rounds about Science, Maths, English, HASS (History/Geography) and General Knowledge.

Let’s see how you fare with some of the questions? (Answers below)

Science: Which of the planets was the last to have rings discovered?

Maths: If I had 3 platypuses, two lyrebirds and an echidna in my pocket, how many cents do I have?

English: Which of the following is NOT a collective noun for a group of bats? colony, cloud, camp, guano

HASS: Of Pepsi, Coke, Dr Pepper and Fanta, which soda was marketed first?

General Knowledge: What percentage of genes does a banana share with humans?

I’m pleased to report that both our teams nailed these questions and can be proud of their efforts in coming fourth… The Primary team missing out on a podium finish by just 1.5 points!

Well done to our Primary representatives: Charlie, Mitch, Montaya, Steph, Dylan, Daniel, Pamela, Keira and Angus.

And a special mention to our Secondary team who overcame issues with power outages and intermittent Wi-Fi too: Kieran, Charlotte, Jemima, Robbie, Abbey, Toma and the ever-reliable Taye.

Well done teams!

Answers

Science: Jupiter has a relatively small system of 14 rings first seen by Voyager in 1979.

Maths: These are the animals on the coins… so 3 platypuses, two lyrebirds and an echidna would be 85c

English: Guano is NOT a collective noun for a group of bats. It is the name of… well… you Google it.

HASS: Dr Pepper was first sold in 1885 in Waco, Texas.

General Knowledge: Bananas share 50% of genes with humans (but only 1% shared DNA)